(Headline USA) Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., urged members of the state chamber of commerce in battleground Wisconsin on Wednesday to vote for President Donald Trump, saying he has been praying for a victory and “the other side is not in love with this country.”
Johnson delivered a sobering assessment of what a win by Democrat Joe Biden would mean during a virtual meeting of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
Johnson warned that anarchists and rioters were “going to dictate to you what you think and how you have to act” should radical leftists gain control under a Biden administration.
“This is the greatest threat to our freedom in my lifetime, which is why I am … not being particularly uplifting,” Johnson said.
“I’m telling you this so that you all use your positions, your position of influence every minute of your time between now and the election to get everybody to come out and vote,” he added.
Johnson said he understands that people in Wisconsin “are not real nuts about a New York street fighter” like Trump.
Democrats have sought to make the election a referendum on Trump’s personality rather than his policies, while couching serious ethical and policy concerns about Biden under his perceived empathy and gregariousness.
Trump has ruffled some feathers by being candid to a fault and bringing newfound transparency in his effort to drain the Washington, DC, swamp.
Johnson acknowledged that even conservatives might not be thrilled with the president’s sometimes crass and abrasive rhetoric, even if it has been an effective counterpunch by turning the Left’s own tactics against it.
“We don’t like his tweets,” Johnson said. “We don’t like the way he behaves. But he actually believes in this country. He thinks it’s great. He knows it’s great. He wakes up every day trying to make it better, OK? The other side is not in love with this country.”
Polls have shown Biden with a narrow lead in Wisconsin, a state Trump won by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016. Similar polling in the last election suggested a sizeable lead for Hillary Clinton, which led her to ignore the state entirely.
Johnson, who is not on the ballot this year, said that if Democrats take majority control of the Senate, “They will never relinquish power. And that is not an overstatement.”
Johnson, who tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month but said he had no symptoms, told the state’s business leaders on Wednesday that he thinks fears about getting sick or dying from COVID-19 are overblown.
Johnson said said he thinks wearing masks is a good idea, but he opposes mandates.
“We have unfortunately been snookered into this mass hysteria that isn’t even close to the real risk,” Johnson said. “And so we’ve shut down our economy. We’ve had this economic devastation.”
Amid reports surging COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has ordered new capacity limits on bars, restaurants and other businesses. He also imposed a statewide mask mandate.
Other Democrats governors in battleground states appeared to be following suit, with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hyping a supposed resurgence on Wednesday, just in time for an Election Day lockdown.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
